Ecce iste venit

Costanzo Festa crafts a vibrant setting of this Latin text, drawing from the Song of Songs. The music immediately captures the energy of the words, with the SAATBB voices leaping and bounding, mirroring the image of Christ coming like a gazelle. The composer skilfully uses the six-part choir, creating a rich and dynamic texture that perfectly conveys the text's joyful anticipation and the ultimate comparison of the beloved to a young deer. This is a powerful motet, full of movement and exultation, ideal for a skilled choir looking to explore the expressive possibilities of Renaissance polyphony.